


Pendulum

by KingBirds



Category: Bleach
Genre: Drama, F/M, Mentions of Suicide, Mystery, but non-graphic, no tags that will ruin the plot but will add tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26813878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingBirds/pseuds/KingBirds
Summary: When the newly appointed Vice-Captain of the 13th Squad commits an act of treason and flees Soul Society, Captain Hitsugaya is sent to hunt her down.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This story takes place immediately after TYBW and doesn't change anything in the official story, so it will definitely contain spoilers if you haven't gotten to that point in the manga. Haven't watched much of the anime, so I can't say if I'll spoil anything there, outside of the obvious cannon episodes. Please, enjoy.

Prologue

* * *

For as long as she could remember, she could see ghosts.

As long as she could remember was from her third birthday. It was the first time she had been allowed to go outside. Mother had opened the door and bright warm sunlight had spilled over her.

"Go on," she had said gently.

Hesitantly, she had stepped outside. It smelt different, not at all like the musty books and rugs from inside. She didn't know how to describe it but it was sweet and fresh and clean and she found herself almost panting to get lungfulls of it.

And the outside…was more than she could have ever imagined from the glimpses she had seen through the cracks in the window boards. It was all colourful. The grass under her feet itched and there were things flying over bright flowers. And there was a tree, with leaves the warmest orange colour. Looking up she could see the sky. She had never seen so much blue before.

She was unsure of how long she spent outside. It could have been a short while or forever. But when Mother came out to look for her the sun had begun to set.

"Ama-chan, it's time to come inside."

Mother was smiling, eyes gentle and soft.

"Mother…are you happy?"

"Yes, Mother is happy. Mother is going to see Father."

"Father…"

"Yes, so be a good girl and stay inside until Mother comes back. Can you do that, Ama-chan?"

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"Good child. Go inside now."

She didn't want to leave the outside but she dare not disobey Mother. Reluctantly, she walked back into the dark house, the door closing behind her with a groan. All the sunlight was gone. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark.

"Mother? I thought you were—"

Mother's shoes, the ones she wore only on those special occasions when she went outside to get food, the pretty ones that managed to glitter in the little light inside—one was carelessly lying at the bottom of the stairs.

The other was floating motionlessly above it.

* * *

No one had seen her.

It was unlikely she would be caught. The thing about these modern glass buildings were that they were very easy to break into—a brick thrown through the doors had done the trick. The security alarm had been a non-issue, too. The connection outside the building had been easy to tamper with.

The only other obstacle was the lock on the door that led to the roof, but what kind of delinquent would she be if she didn't even know how to pick a lock?

Up there on the roof, in the middle of the night, it was very dark. Light was faintly streaming up from the sides of the building but there were no stars overhead. The moon had hidden itself behind a few black clouds. Perhaps it would rain—it would be nice if it did.

Slowly, she walked to the edge of the building. Down below were the busy Tokyo streets. Even this late at night there were lines of traffic, flashing lights, people milling about, as tiny as specs of dust on her glasses. Somewhere, the siren of an ambulance went off.

Life was doing as it always did—going on.

She liked places like this, quiet, peaceful. There was not a soul but her up here. No one could see her, no one could judge her, no one could talk to her about school, or where she had disappeared to that day. Even if someone happened to look up, they wouldn't be able to see her, with her dark hair and dark clothes, against the night sky. She had chosen a good one. This building had only recently been opened after countless years of construction, so there was nothing lingering around it.

Gingerly, she stepped onto the ledge. The wind up here was strong and cold but she was as loose-limbed as could be, with not an iota of tension in her body. There was power to be had, standing there. She could feel it, like her bones were vibrating.

In the distance there was the flash of lightning and then the roll of thunder. How fitting.

And then she jumped.

* * *

The road led to a small village. The houses here looked rather nice, with strong, sturdy wooden frames and clean shingled rooves. It appeared to be very early morning, with burgeoning sunlight bleeding out from the horizon, slowly dispersing the dense cold mist hanging over everything.

Villagers were just opening their doors, getting ready to start the day. One of them saw her, her tired face taking on a look of shock, mouth dropping open.

"Oh!"

The woman looked to be middle-aged, hair still dark but with fine wrinkles around her eyes. She was wearing simple but clean clothes, and was taking a bucket of water outside.

"Goodness!" Hastily, she dropped the bucket and ran over to her, catching her under the arm before she fell to her knees.

"You must have just crossed over!" the woman exclaimed. "But whatever happened to you? Never mind that, let's get you inside. You'll be safe here."

"Here…" she said slowly. Her voice sounded like she had gargled sand. The wound on her neck was apparently still bleeding. "Where is here?"

"Hokutan," the woman replied, more focused on dragging her inside.

"Hokutan…" she murmured as the woman threw open her door and carefully lifted her inside. "…Soul Society."

"What? Oh yes, didn't the death god tell you? Anyway, you just lay there. There's a doctor a few houses down, I'm going to fetch him and I'll be right back. Just hang in there."

The woman scurried out, the door closing shakily behind her.

In the quiet, she looked up at the ceiling. Though she was curious, she didn't even have the strength to look around her.

Soul Society.

At last, she had made it.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

"You brats! Why aren't you up yet? How many times do I have to tell you to water the plants? Huh? How many times?"

"Shut up, old woman! Why are you making such a ruckus this early in the morning? Can't you see we're trying to sleep?"

"Old? OLD!? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING OLD? You little shits—"

Tenko calmly filled the bucket with water in the kitchen and then made her way outside. Behind her, the argument went on like it always did. Outside, the horizon was just beginning to brighten. The front of the house was home to all manner of potted plants and flowers. Tenko began the simple but arduous task of watering them all. After a moment, the door behind her swung open.

"Those mooching brats," Chie grumbled. "All they do is eat and eat and eat. I ask them to do one thing—ONE THING—and they can't even roll their little butts out of bed in the morning to—oh, Tenko, you don't have to do that."

Tenko smiled at her. "It's alright, I like to watch the sun rise anyway."

Chie sighed. "You always say that. If you do everything for them how will they ever grow up? You're too soft, Ten-chan. Those kids don't deserve a sister like you."

From behind the door a little voice said, "We don't deserve a sister like _you_ , either."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, BRAT? THAT ROOM BETTER BE IN ORDER WHEN I GET BACK INSIDE OR I SWEAR—"

Tenko chuckled. "The futons need to be washed anyway," she reminded Chie. "I'll handle them later, when the sun's really up."

Chie turned back to her. "You're spoiling them," she scolded. "They're just going to continue to take advantage of you."

"I can't help it," Tenko said simply, using her hand to sprinkle water over the smaller plants. "Kids should live carefree lives without having to worry about much."

"Uh huh, and how are they to become responsible adults that can survive in the real world."

Tenko tilted her head over her shoulder to look at her. "That's why we have you, nee-san," she said sweetly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Chie threw her hands up in the air but her face was flushed. "I'm—I'm gonna start on breakfast. You brats need to eat anyhow." And she turned on her heel and hurried back inside.

Tenko had just used the last of her water when a young man walked up to the house. He looked as impeccable as ever, even for so early in the morning, hair combed in perfectly neat waves over his brow, not a wrinkle in his plain but clean clothes. He gave Tenko a warm smile.

"Ten-chan," he greeted her. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Ryu-kun," she replied politely. "What brings you by?"

"Come on now, you can call me Ryu, Ten-chan. Haven't we known each other long enough?"

Tenko just smiled and shrugged a little. Ryu sighed but pulled a parcel out from under his robe. "This is the medicine for Tsuki-chan. Just prepare it like you normally would."

Tenko took it from him, gratefully bowing. "Thank you, Ryu-kun."

Ryu gave her a long-suffering look. From within the house, an argument started up again. From the sounds of it, it was over who would do the dishes after breakfast. Ryu looked over, amused.

"It's always so exciting at your house," he mused.

"Would you like to come in for breakfast?" she asked.

He smiled but shook his head. "Can't, sorry Ten-chan. But we should have a meal together later, to celebrate. After all, today's a special day."

He must have seen her confusion because he gave a small laugh. "Did you forget? Today's the anniversary of the day we first met."

Tenko blinked, but then thought about it. That's right, it should be around that time.

Ryu ruffled her hair gently. "Dummy," he said fondly. "Tell Chie-san I'll drop by later, okay?"

She nodded, watching as he waved and walked off.

How much time had passed since she had first come to this place, she wondered. Ten? Fifteen years? After the first few years, she had stopped keeping count. It had all started to blend together.

This place was Higashi, a small, rural village on the western outskirts of Hokutan. It was special because it provided food to the high-spiritual energy people of Seireitei. The people here lived peaceful lives and wanted for nothing. People of high spiritual energy were quite common here but they often left to become Shinigami.

Shigeki Chie had been that woman all those years ago who had taken a bloody Tenko into her house. The doctor she had fetched was Nakashima Ryu. To these two, Tenko owed her life.

This house belonged to Chie and she had lived here alone after the death of her husband. She had been more than willing to take Tenko in as her sister, a move that had baffled the ever-cautious Tenko at the time. But the more Tenko lived with her, the more she had come to realize that this was just the kind of person Chie was. Those fine wrinkles around her eyes were because she smiled so often.

So when three little babies had shown up at the village entrance one day, Tenko was not the least surprised when Chie had brought them home.

They were Tsuki, Taiyo and Chikyu—Tenko had named them herself. Looking at them over the breakfast table, it struck her anew how much they looked alike. They were very clearly triplets, which was extremely rare in Soul Society. But having watched them grow up Tenko knew how to tell them apart.

Chikyu was the most mature of the three, or as mature as could be expected of someone less than ten years old. He was also the brawniest of the three because he spent much of his time climbing trees or leaping across rocks in the river.

Taiyo was the most rambunctious, with mischievous eyes and quick limbs, which he used to get into trouble and then run away from it. He argued the most with Chie but Tenko thought the two were very alike.

Tsuki was the quietest. He spoke very little and when he did it was always soft. He was often teased by the other children in the village for being timid and afraid but Tenko thought he was just reserved and he actually didn't scare that easy.

"Ryu-kun's coming later? THEN THIS HOUSE BETTER BE SQUEAKY CLEAN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, YOU HEAR ME?"

Taiyo waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you know how to do anything other than nag?"

"You—"

"He said we should celebrate," Tenko interrupted, moving the grains of rice around in her bowl.

Chie blinked at her. "Of course we should celebrate," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I made your favourite manju already."

"Today _is_ that day," Chikyu said. "Did you forget again, Tenee-san?"

Embarrassed, Tenko nodded.

"Of course she forgot," Taiyo scoffed. "She wouldn't know today from tomorrow if it were tattooed on her head. Do you even know how many years it's been? See, she doesn't even know. Thirteen years. THIRTEEN YEARS, NEE-SAN. Remember it this time, I won't tell you again next year."

"Don't be mean to nee-san," Tsuki frowned at his brother, reaching across the table to put his little hand over hers. Tenko smiled at him, which he returned shyly.

"Be quiet, you brat," Chie pointed a finger at Taiyo, then turned and flicked Tenko on the head. "How is it that you never remember the day you saw my beautiful, youthful face for the first time. It should be the most important day in your memory."

"Youthful?" Chikyu said dubiously.

"Beautiful?!" Taiyo burst into laughter, falling back to roll on the floor.

An interesting tick appeared at Chie's temple but she ignored them.

"I need you to take the kids to the town to collect their festival yukatas," she went on, more serious. "Make sure they fit well and if that Miyasaki asks for more money you tell her exactly where I think she should look to find it, understood? Don't let her dupe you into paying more, got it? I mean it this time."

"I got it, I got it," Tenko reassured her.

"Good." Chie seemed pleased. "When you get back, we'll celebrate."

Later, when Tenko was doing the dishes in the kitchen, Chie came up next to her. "You can get something for yourself, too," she said and then glanced over at the young girl. "Maybe a nice hairpin or two."

Self-consciously, Tenko brought her hand to the right side of her face, where her hair hung over, completely obscuring her right eye.

"It's not that weird, you know," Chie said to her kindly. "I actually think it's kind of cool."

Slowly, Tenko brought her hand back down, a small smile on her face. "That's because you've gotten used to it," she said. "Between my name and my eyes…" she trailed off and then shook her head. She gave a reassuring smile to Chie. "It's okay, really. It doesn't bother me."

Chie didn't look convinced but let it go, patting Tenko on the back before going to yell at the boys some more.

* * *

The closest town to Higashi was Topetsu. It was an easy but long walk that took about half a day's walk one way if you walked leisurely. With three energetic young boys, it took less than that to get there, but by the time they were ready to return, weighed down by their new yukatas, the boys were tired and walked more slowly.

"Chie-nee-san is gonna kill you if she finds out you gave the seamstress more money," Taiyo warned her.

Tenko blinked. "Really? But those buttons she replaced last minute seemed really expensive. I think it was reasonable."

Taiyo gave her a flat look. "She added those buttons _so_ she could charge you more money, dummy," he said plainly. "And you're so dumb you fell for it."

"Is that so?" she said lightly, scratching her head. "I'm sure it was worth it, you'll be the best-dressed kids at the festival." She ruffled his hair. "My handsome boys."

Taiyo frowned and ducked away from her. "How do you survive in this world, nee-san?" he asked flatly but with real concern.

"I think I do okay," she said thoughtfully.

"That's 'cause you have us," Chikyu said smartly. "The three of us will protect you."

From behind her, a small hand slipped into hers. She looked down to see Tsuki smiling up at her.

"Aww," Tenko cooed. "You guys…"

"No, no, _no_ ," Taiyo shook his head, pointing a finger at the other three. "Don't encourage this behaviour. She's soft. She's weak. She's a pushover. She can't even remember what day it is. She gets bullied by three little kids on a daily basis. She's never going to make it in the world if she stays like this."

Tenko chuckled sheepishly. "Are you that concerned, Taiyo-chan? I'm so touched."

"No, you—ugh," Taiyou pinched the bridge of his nose. "You—"

"Hey, I know this place," Chikyu interrupted, looking around.

"Well, we're about halfway home, so that's not a surprise," Tenko said.

"No, I think there's a shortcut somewhere around here," he said. "It'll get us home in a fraction of the time."

Taiyo blinked, interested. "Can you find it?"

"Uh…" Chikyu quickly scaled a tree, very much like a monkey. "That-a-way," he said, pointing triumphantly.

The two took off before she could say anything, leaving Tenko and Tsuki to follow behind.

Chikyu's shortcut was through a wooded area. He seemed to know where he was going, excitedly racing ahead with Taiyo. Tenko didn't think anything was wrong but there was an uncomfortable prickling feeling at the back of her neck.

She was sure it was nothing but she couldn't help tightening her hold on Tsuki's hand, causing him to look up at her in question. She stopped walking abruptly, her heartbeat increasing in her chest. Her brow furrowed in concentration, trying to sense if there was anything there. She couldn't feel anything, and yet…

 _Master_ …

Tenko's eyes widened.

How long had it been? Since she'd heard that voice?

"Chikyu! Taiyo!" she called sharply, startling all three boys. They had never heard her use that tone of voice before.

"Yeah?" Taiyo said uncertainly, looking back at her, and then he froze. Tsuki's hand in hers stiffened.

They all felt it, the presence of something sinister lurking in the woods. It appeared very suddenly but was intense enough to make Tsuki fall to his knees next to her.

It had been a long, long time since she'd felt a presence like this.

"Get back here!" she yelled at Chikyu and Taiyo. They seemed frozen but jerked at her voice, scrambling to run back to her. Behind them, something large and white loomed overhead.

"That's a—" Tsuki began.

"Hollow," Tenko finished, voice tight.

"Well, well, well, look at thissss."

The ground shook, causing Chikyu and Taiyo to fall flat on their fronts. The hollow emerged from the darkness behind them, towering over the two terrified boys. It was as large as the trees around them, with a snake-like body made up of segments of white bone, the last bone in its tail ending in a needle-like point. Its mask was smooth and slender, with two slits for eyes. When it spoke, two black forked tongues flickered out from the slits.

"Deliciousssss," it said, tongues dripping saliva over the boys' heads. Its tail flicked forward, wavering between the two of them. "I think I'll eat—" the tail stopped at Taiyo, "— _you_ first."

The tail darted forward, the sharp point aiming for the centre of his chest. Taiyo's scream tore through the trees but Tenko was faster. She dropped Tsuki's hand and leapt forward, aiming her kick right at its mask. The shock of the force reverberated up through her leg and into her hips but she managed to kick off, turning in the air and landing on her feet, crouched on the ground.

" _Run_ ," she ordered the boys behind her. "Take Tsuki and get as far away as possible. Keep your spirit energy as low as you can, just like I taught you. Now _go_!"

They wasted no time, scrambling to their feet and scurrying away.

The hollow had been forced back but when it righted itself again she could see that there wasn't even a scratch on its mask. Tenko frowned. She was out of practice.

"You—" it sneered at her but then stopped suddenly.

Tenko was already gathering her Reiryoku for another hit. It seemed to sense this.

"—sssmell ssso deliciousss. I'll eat you first!"

The needle came down on her and she leapt away as it buried itself into the ground right where she had been, sending dirt flying in every direction. Tenko threw herself into the air, pirouetting on one foot and aiming the other for the mask. This kick landed better than the first, sending the top half of the hollow crashing into the ground, digging a deep gouge in its wake and felling several trees. Unfortunately, the momentum pulled the needle out from the ground and it swung at her. She dodged and it missed her by a millimetre as she landed on the ground.

"Ssso ssspicy," the hollow hissed, curling its body into tight coils to right itself.

"What's your name," Tenko asked it quietly.

"My name…" it swung its head forward, looming over her. "…isss Viper."

A crack appeared in the mask, stretching across like an injured grin. From this crack the mask started to split, revealing two rows of white teeth. Its mouth opened, jaw stretching until its gape was perpendicular to the ground. Its head dropped forward, ready to snap her up into its mouth.

Tenko ducked, sliding under its head on her knees. She reached up and grabbed a hold of its neck, swinging herself over it so she sat astride it. She focused her Reiryoku into her hands, hoping to break through the mask directly.

It began to shake itself, flexible body buckling under her. Tenko struggled to hold on as it swung its head around. "You pesssky sssoul. Jusst let me eat you!"

It flicked its head back, sending her flying into the air. She hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her. She felt a bone snap but didn't have time to feel the pain as she rolled away from the needle. It missed her, but just barely, embedding itself into a tree behind her, piercing through it completely.

The tail withdrew and her eyes widened, watching as the hole it left behind started to grow larger, the fibrous wood of the trunk melting away.

"Sssurprisssed? Yesss, my poison erodesss all living thingsss," Viper coiled its tail back, readying itself for another strike. "All I have to do is pierce some part of your body and it will rot away. Without a body to defend yourssself, eating your sssoul will be easssy!"

Its tail rushed toward her, whipping through the air faster than she had seen it move before. She tried to stand, her right leg protesting, but she couldn't move in time. Instinctively, she reached behind her.

_Wait, master._

Tenko froze, her eyes widening. How had she not sensed them before?

In her hesitance the tail had almost reached her. She braced herself, but the needle never hit.

There was a loud clang right before her face. Tenko opened her eyes to see the shining glint of a black blade.

A zanpakuto, she realized.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Tenko looked up. A tall man was standing before her, dressed in a black Shihakushō. She could see only the side of his face but he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and smiled.

"Take it easy, okay?" he said. "Let me take it from here. You've done good, kid. Rukia! Heal her!" And then he disappeared from her sight.

Small, gentle hands touched her shoulder, startling Tenko. She looked behind her to see a young girl, also in a Shihakushō. She was tiny, with short black hair that spiked around her head. She was kneeling next to her, looking over her, concerned.

"Where are you hurt?" she asked.

"I—my leg," Tenko said uncertainly.

The girl nodded, hovering her hands over Tenko's broken leg. From her hands came a soft blue light and to Tenko's surprise, she could feel her leg healing.

_Kido, something I couldn't teach you._

Tenko looked back at the hollow, only to see the mask shatter into pieces, that black blade right through its head. As it disappeared, she could see the man. He calmly sheathed his zanpakuto. Then, he looked away, toward a group of trees.

"You can come out now," he said.

At first, nothing happened. But then the undergrowth parted and three small bodies fell out.

"Chikyu, Taiyo, Tsuki!" Tenko exclaimed, shocked. "I told you to run away!"

"We couldn't just leave you, nee-san!" Taiyo yelled back at her, and Tenko was astonished to see that there were tears in his eyes. "We thought it was going to kill you!"

"Now, now, now," the man said. "No one's died, let's just all calm down." He turned to Tenko. "I'm Shiba Kaien, Vice-Captain of the 13th Squad of the Gotei 13. This is my surbordinate, Kuchiki Rukia."

The girl kneeling next to her got to her feet, giving her a polite nod before moving to stand next to her vice-captain.

"You're a Shinigami," Taiyo said in awe.

"That I am," Kaien confirmed, nodding.

Tenko got to her feet, gesturing to the boys to come to her. They ran over and she checked quickly to make sure they were okay. Then she turned back to the Shinigami.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, bowing.

"Come on now," Kaien said good-naturedly, "You did really well before I got here. We were training in the area and sensed the hollow. Sorry it took so long for us to arrive."

Taiyo stuck his head out from Tenko's arm. "Thanks for coming at all," he said. "My sister would be dead if it weren't for you."

Tenko shot him a look but he didn't see it, too focused was he on the two Shinigami.

Kaien scratched his head. "Yeah, well, that's some impressive spiritual pressure you've got, kid," he said to Tenko. "I almost thought you were a Shinigami too. Now that I think about it, all of you have pretty high spiritual energy, right Rukia?"

Rukia nodded. "You guys," she said slowly, "Are you related? You look a lot alike."

"Eh?" Kaien looked over. "Hey, you do. Could it be triplets?"

"Yup," Taiyo answered eagerly.

"Identical, actually," Chikyu added.

"Interesting," Kaien mused. "Well, we should get out of here. It's getting late."

"Why don't you have dinner with us," Taiyo offered offhandedly, and before Tenko could get a hand on him he stepped forward before them. "We're having a grand feast tonight. You're more than welcome to come."

Kaien and Rukia exchanged a glance. Taiyo, ever the smart boy, added: "Plus, we're really scared to walk back home alone now."

"Well that settles it," Kaien announced decisively, resting his fist in his palm. "We will escort you back."

Tenko gave them another bow. "Thank you, Vice-Captain Shiba, Kuchiki-san."

"No need, no need," Kaien waved her away.

By the time they got back night had fallen. Chie and Ryu were standing outside the house, carefully watching the road. When she spotted them, Chie rushed forward, grabbing Tenko by the shoulders.

"What happened to you? Why are you so dirty? Is everything alright?"

Tenko wrapped her hands around her wrists and smiled reassuringly. "We're alright," she said, "We just ran into some trouble."

Chie looked over Tenko's shoulder at the two Shinigami. At the same time, Ryu stepped forward.

"Why don't we talk inside?" he suggested kindly.

Once everyone was inside and sitting around the table, and everyone was properly fed, Tenko relayed what had happened.

"A hollow, huh?" Ryo said speculatively.

"Yes, you seem to be familiar with them," Kaien observed.

"Well, I'm a doctor and I've treated a few hollow injuries here and there," his eyes glanced over Tenko briefly.

"I see," Kaien said, a curious look in his eyes. "Anyway, now that we've brought you home safely, we should get going."

"You're leaving already?" Taiyo whined.

Rukia gave him a kind smile. "Yes, our squad captain will worry if we don't go back soon."

"But, what if there are more hollows?" Tsuki asked quietly.

Kaien didn't answer immediately. He got to his feet, Rukia following him. "The hollow likely got here through a rift between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. When we go back, we'll report this to the 12th Squad and they'll fix any issues there might be." He smiled reassuringly at the little boy and patted him gently on the head. "You don't need to worry about your sister anymore."

Tsuki flushed, but nodded his head under the vice-captain's firm gaze.

"Tenko," Kaien said to her directly, startling her. "Why don't you see us out?"

She nodded. Chie watched her worriedly as she got up but Tenko waved her off.

Once outside, the three walked to the end of the road in silence before Kaien stopped and turned to her.

"I really thought you were a Shinigami," he began in a voice that was much more serious than any Tenko had heard him use that night. "I could feel the spiritual energy of your three brothers and then the hollow when it appeared. But I couldn't feel you, not until the hollow found you. Hiding one's reiatsu is not something you would expect an untrained soul to be able to do. And then when I could feel you, I thought for sure you were one of us."

Tenko found it hard to meet his eyes, but she tried not to let it show. Even Rukia was looking at her curiously.

"So imagine my surprise when I came upon you," he continued, fixing her with an intense gaze. "Just a regular soul."

He knows, Tenko thought, panicked.

_Wait! Don't be rash._

"Vice-Captain Shiba…"

"So basically, what I mean to say is, I think you should become a soul reaper," he announced, surprising both girls.

Rukia's eyes widened but then she looked over at Tenko and her expression changed. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"You're brothers have potential, too," Kaien went on. "But they're a little too young for the Academy yet. You on the other hand, should fit right in."

"Oh, well, I've never really thought about it…" Tenko said honestly.

"Well, it's just a thought," he said lightly. "But maybe think about it. You'll have to travel to the West Gate region on a day that they open the gate for trade. It should be easy to get to the Shin'o Academy from there."

He gave Tenko a very warm smile, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Really think about it, Tenko."

Tenko hesitated, but then nodded. "I will," she promised.

"Good, good," he beamed at her. "Well, we'll be on our way now. Rukia?"

Rukia gave her a nod and then followed after him. Tenko watched until they were out of sight before she turned and began to walk back to the house.

* * *

"Kaien…"

"Yes, Rukia?"

"That girl…was she…?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But did you see how she tensed when I said I thought she was one of us?"

Rukia nodded.

"And when I let it go?"

She thought about it and then widened her eyes in realization. Kaien gave her a sideways glance.

"Yes," he said, "She sighed in relief. I'm curious to know why."

Rukia's brow furrowed. "Do you think she'll become a Shinigami?"

"Hard to say. I hope so. It would be a shame if she didn't."

* * *

One month later, Chie yelled: "I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU THREE AREN'T READY IN THE NEXT MINUTE, I'M GOING TO BE TAKING YOUR DEAD BODIES TO THE FESTIVAL INSTEAD, YOU GOT THAT, YOU BRATS!?"

"Why bother taking us at all if we're gonna be dead?" Taiyo retorted dully, but went looking for his sandals anyway.

Chie brushed her hair over her shoulder and then looked at Tenko. "Are you sure you want to wear that?"

Tenko looked down at her plain yukata and shrugged.

Chie gave a long-suffering sigh but then checked the time and resumed yelling at the boys.

The festival was being held in the nearest town. Ever since the hollow incident a month before none of the villagers could bear travelling the distance alone. So they had agreed to all meet at the village entrance so they could go together. Chie's pride wouldn't allow her to be even one second late.

Speaking of the hollow, there hadn't been another one since then, Tenko was sure of it. But there _had_ been Shinigami in the area. She could feel them as they appeared ever so often during the past month, though they never came near the village or the villagers themselves.

This had greatly disappointed the boys, who, after having met Kaien and Rukia, were somewhat star struck and spent as much time outside as far as Chie would allow them in the hopes of catching sight of a Shinigami.

On the way to the festival, they kept their eyes peeled, coordinating between the three of them so that they had eyes on the widest area possible.

Tenko was greatly amused by this. Walking next to her, Ryo observed: "I'm afraid those two Shinigami have left a greater impression on those three in the five minutes that they were here than Chie-san has achieved in ten years."

Tenko chuckled. "That's as expected after being saved in such a romantic fashion."

Ryo eyed her from the side. "And what about you?" he asked.

She hummed vaguely but didn't reply and he didn't ask further.

The truth was, Tenko had done what Kaien had told her, even if at first she hadn't wanted to. She had thought about it. When she lay in bed at night after Tsuki had crawled in and curled up next to her, she thought about it. Every time she had felt the faint but distinctive reiatsu of the Shinigami, she thought about it. Whenever Taiyo brought up the incident with shining eyes, she thought about it. And when she was asleep, she dreamt about it.

Over the past month, the incident with the hollow and Shinigami had been discussed countless times around the table. They had come to the point where there was nothing else to talk about.

Chie had never asked what had been said when she had walked the two Shinigami out and Tenko had never told her. But Tenko found that Chie now often asked her to sit up with her and talk while having tea after the boys had been put to bed. She would also often rest her hand on Tenko's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze whenever Tenko became lost in her thoughts.

And often, whenever Tenko awoke in the middle of the night after a restless dream, Chie was there, ostensibly folding laundry or doing other chores. Tenko had long stopped letting her know when she was awake.

It turned out that the only thing that could distract the boys from Shinigami and hollows was the allure of all the festival activities. There were games to be played, prizes to be won and foods to be eaten.

Chie was still a little wary of letting the boys out of her sight so she and Tenko followed behind them as they flittered from stand to stand. Tenko watched them fondly. Walking at a leisurely pace, Tenko took in the bright lights and the happy atmosphere. At some point, Chie had linked their arms together. The boys' bright laughter was ringing in her ears.

Tenko thought this was the most peaceful she had felt in a long time.

They were the first family to reach the meeting point to group up to go back home. The boys were tuckered out, piled up on a bench, exhausted. Tenko carefully made sure their limbs were carefully arranged before joining Chie on a nearby bench.

For a while, no one said anything.

"Chie-nee-san…"

"I've been thinking—"

They fell silent. Chie turned to her, smiling softly.

"When I met you," she began, "You were so near death that I was sure you weren't going to make it. Before I had even learnt your name, I thought I was going to lose you. You survived that day but the next few days were so precarious as Ryu worked on you, every day I woke up and wondered if that day would be the day you left. But still, you pulled through that and you got better. As you recovered I kept waiting for the moment you would ask about your family. Most new souls always look for their family members. I was just waiting for the time you decided you wanted to, too."

Chie leaned back, looking out distantly. "At that time, I had already lived in that house alone for so long. So when you said you had nowhere to go, I thought—I thought it would be nice to have someone again."

Chie tilted her head to look at her with a watery smile.

"Chie…"

"But you know the one thing I knew immediately about you, even before you opened your eyes?"

Tenko shook her head.

"You're special," Chie said quietly. "From the moment I saw you stumbling on the road, I knew you were special. And then you _did_ open your eyes, and I knew then the kind of special you were was probably not something I would be able to understand." Gently, she reached forward and brushed aside the hair that always hung over Tenko's face, tucking it behind her ear and revealing her right eye. Two eyes looked back at her, one brown, one blue.

"I knew then that it would never be an issue of _if_ you would ever leave, but _when_." Chie sighed, leaning back and tilting her head back to look up at the dark sky. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Thirteen years…and yet still, I thought I'd have longer."

Tenko couldn't say anything. It felt like her throat had been sewn shut. She sat quietly next to Chie, pressing her shoulder up against hers. She reached over and took her hand, linking their fingers together.

"You could never lose me," Tenko said softly, tightening her fingers.

Chie just smiled.

On the horizon the sun had started to rise, throwing a warm glow over everything. Tenko had watched the sun rise every single day since she had been here.

But this one, this one had to be the most beautiful she had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The first few chapters will be from Tenko's point of view because that part is best told from her perspective. Anyone here for Toushiro, don't worry, he carries most of the story past the initial set-up.
> 
> This idea popped into my mind after finally finishing the manga recently and I blurted out almost 30,000 words worth of it in, like, three days. I really wanted to post it, partly to keep my enthusiasm going, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> This will be a long one and I hope to take a few people on the ride with me.
> 
> Whoever's reading this, hope you're having a good day.
> 
> -Bird


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

"Shigeki-san! Here's the report you wanted."

"Thank you, Mizutani-kun," Tenko said kindly to the Shinigami before her. The young boy beamed at her and Tenko couldn't help ruffling his hair. "Have you already finished up your duties for today? Did you rush through them just so you could be the one to bring the report to me?"

Mizutani flushed, guilty as charged.

Tenko tsked. "I've told you, Mizu-kun, quality is better than quantity. I hope your duties haven't suffered because you did them so quickly."

The boy ducked his head.

She chuckled, patting him reassuringly on the head. "Don't worry about being the one to get me the reports," she said. "If you want to see me, you can come find me any time. Now go and make sure Vice-captain Akon has no reason to reprimand you again."

Mizutani bowed quickly. "Thank you, Shigeki-san, I'll go immediately."

Tenko watched him scurry away. She couldn't help but smile for a moment before looking over her shoulder, face serious.

"What is it," she asked the man kneeling there.

"Twelfth Squad third seat Shigeki Tenko, the Captain Commander requires your presence at the Squad One's meeting room! This message has been labelled urgent!"

"Urgent, huh," Tenko mused, looking down at the unopened report in her hands. "Well, in that case, let's not keep him waiting."

Tenko shunpo'd to the meeting room. In her time as a Shinigami she had only ever seen Head Captain Kyoraku three times. She had never met him in person.

When she got there she could feel his presence within the room, along with several others. Tenko stopped before the door and frowned. She pushed it open and stepped inside, bowing politely.

"Head Captain Kyoraku, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-captain Ise, Vice-captain Okikiba, please forgive my tardiness."

"That's alright, Shigeki," Kyoraku said, sounding amused.

Tenko straightened, walking forward to take her place to the left of Captain Hitsugaya but several paces behind him. The young Captain gave her a cursory glance.

"My, my, my, I never knew the 12th Squad had such a pretty third seat," Kyoraku said thoughtfully, causing Nanao to clear her throat loudly.

"Yes, yes, well I'm sure you two are wondering why I've called you here. As you know, several days ago a group of Shinigami were sent on a routine trip to the World of the Living. Squad 10 and Squad 12 should have received a report on what happened on that trip, correct?"

Tenko nodded, but the Squad 10 captain folded his arms, face tight. "I had several officers assigned to that team, Kyoraku," he said.

"I am aware, Captain Hitsugaya," the Head Captain said, with not a little regret in his voice. "As did Squad 6. As of now, the preliminary investigation has not been able to tell us much. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to send any more Shinigami into such an uncertain situation. I'm hoping that you, Captain Hitsugaya, and you, third seat Shigeki, is enough to do a thorough investigation. Your orders are to determine the cause of the Shinigami's disappearance and to neutralize any threats as necessary."

"Understood, sir," Tenko said calmly.

Captain Hitsugaya didn't respond but Kyoraku went on. "Squad 12 is to collect as much information as possible to be brought back to Soul Society for analysis. The rescue of any survivors is of the utmost importance. The Senkaimon will be opened an hour from now. You have until then to prepare."

As the two left the room, Nanao turned to her captain.

"Sir, those Shinigami, do you really think they're dead?"

Kyoraku sighed. "As far as the preliminary investigators can determine, their reiatsu has completely disappeared. That means either they've been hidden somewhere, or they've completely perished."

"Hidden?" Nanao said, incredulous. "Who would do such a—"

"It's best not to speculate," came a quiet voice.

"Genshiro is right, Nanao-chan," Kyoraku said, smiling at her. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he advised. "After all, we have managed to maintain peace these past ten years. It would be best not to disturb that peace unnecessarily."

* * *

Back at the Squad 12 laboratories, Tenko collapsed into her chair, several reports scattered over the table before her.

"This is really…"

She sighed, resting her head on the back of her hand, thoughtful. "Hamano Keita," she murmured out loud. On the topmost report, the picture of a man with sharp features looked back at her. He was tall and brawny and had a confident smile. The report said he'd graduated from the Academy less than two months ago and had been assigned to the 6th Squad.

"Did you say something, Shigeki-san?"

Tenko looked up from her seat. Mizutani was hovering nearby. "The system picked up another report, Shigeki-san," he said excitedly. "I brought it right over."

"Is that so?" she smiled. She took it from him, opening it and scanning the contents briefly. Her eyebrows rose.

It was an application report—a report generated when a recently graduated Shinigami requested to be placed within a squad of their choosing. The report was for a Shinigami named Yoshiya Tomomi who, like Hamano Keita, had been a part of the class that had graduated two months ago.

Tenko hummed in interest. "What a coincidence," she said lightly.

"Huh?" Mizutani said, confused. "This one involves the 10th Squad. We've never seen that before. Why are you collecting these reports anyway, Shigeki-san?"

Tenko carefully gathered up all of the reports before her, stacking them neatly in a pile. "I'm just running a little experiment," she said to him.

"A secret experiment?" he asked uncertainly.

Tenko smiled at him, drawing a finger over her lips. "That's right." She packed the reports into a drawer and locked it. "How is the preparation of the Senkaimon?"

"It's going as planned," Mizutani informed her. "It should be ready in the next fifteen minutes."

"That's good. Would you do me a favour and bring that thing we've been working on?"

"Really?" Mizutani's eyes brightened.

Tenko nodded. "The prototypes have worked well so far," she said. "This is a good opportunity to test them in the field."

"But, we've never used them with someone of captain class," he said worriedly.

She waved him off carelessly. "It'll be fine, fine. Besides, failure is the best tool for improvement. If it fails, we'll just make them again but better."

Mizutani seemed to be looking at her in awe, and Tenko looked at him from the corners of her eyes, glasses glinting, gently raising an eyebrow.

He jumped up. "Right! Right, I'll go get it now." He scampered off but quickly returned with a small box.

Tenko opened it, revealing two small black rubber balls. Mizutani was looking at them protectively. Tenko noticed.

"Oh, don't look like that Mizu-kun," she teased. "You'll see them again."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I find it hard to believe Captain Hitsugaya will give them back after he uses them," he said petulantly.

Tenko laughed. "I guess that makes Captain Hitsugaya our guinea pig," she whispered to him conspiratorially.

Mizutani spluttered, trying to wrap his mind around the thought of the mighty Captain Hitsugaya as a guinea pig.

Tenko shut the box, securing it within her robes. She got to her feet, ruffled Mizutani's hair for good measure, and began to make her way to where they were opening the Senkaimon.

"If the system flags any more reports while I'm gone, keep them for me. I'll be counting on you Mizutani."

She stopped and turned to look back at him. "And remember," she added seriously, "It's a secret."

* * *

"Captain Hitsugaya, it appears I am tardy again."

He turned his head to look at her, the one eye she could see unimpressed. "Actually, you are right on time." Behind him, the Senkaimon began to open.

Tenko raised her hand, holding out her index finger for the hell butterfly to land on. She tilted her head in Hitsugaya's direction. His hell butterfly was fluttering around his head, seeking attention from the captain who seemed determined to ignore it. Tenko found this image incredibly funny.

"After you, captain," she said generously.

The journey to the World of the Living was as uneventful as could be imagined. Hitsugaya took the lead, white haori flapping behind him. Tenko was content to follow behind him because the wind generated when he ran was refreshingly cold.

The Senkaimon opened into a park. Tenko stepped onto the grass and looked up. From the look of the sky, it appeared to be about midday.

"Have you prepared a gigai?" Hitsugaya asked her.

"I have."

"Good. This should be where the group appeared when they first arrived in the World of the Living. From here we'll trace their reiatsu in our gigais to limit drawing any attention to ourselves from hollows or other spiritual beings."

Tenko nodded, already retrieving her gigai. Quickly, they both abandoned their Shinigami forms. It had been a while since Tenko had last worn human clothes, but the faded jeans and oversized hoodie were still as comfortable as ever. She looked over at the captain.

His gigai was dressed just as casually in a sporty T-shirt and loose trousers. His youthful appearance against his overly calm face and serious eyes were the very definition of the word juxtaposition, she thought.

"Captain Hitsugaya," she called his attention.

He seemed startled by the sudden address but then relaxed. "What is it?"

"Here," she held out her hand to him. Laying in her palm was a thin silver bracelet. A small green light was shining inconspicuously. If one didn't look too closely it appeared to be nothing more than a small gem.

"This is a reiatsu detector," she explained. "I've calibrated it with a little bit of the reiatsu signatures of all the Shinigami that are missing. As long as the light's green it means one or more of their reiatsu are within a five hundred meter radius of wherever you're standing."

He took it from her, raising an eyebrow.

"It's no more sensitive than looking for reiatsu ourselves," she continued. "But it should save us some time exploring the area, at least."

"Why are you giving it to me?" he asked, eyeing the delicate-looking piece of jewellery dubiously. "It doesn't look like something a man would wear."

Tenko gave him a blank look. "It's difficult for me to gather data and trace reiatsu," she said. "So I'm afraid I'll have to rely on you on that front, Captain. As for the design, it was voted for by readers in the last S.W.A.'s monthly magazine. It was the most popular among female readers."

He scowled but obligingly put the bracelet on. "Let's go," he said.

The preliminary investigation had traced the team's reiatsu for about a few miles. Tenko and Hitsugaya followed along this path slowly, with Hitsugaya leading the way and Tenko gathering data. As they came to where the reiatsu trail ended, she stood up, looking at her notebook. She sighed, catching the captain's attention.

"What is it? Have you found something?"

"No," she answered, frowning. "That's the problem. As far as I can tell they came through here normally of their own free will. They weren't pursued nor did they split up. When they got here they just…disappeared."

Hitsugaya looked around. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Tenko had given the area a cursory look but couldn't find any signs of struggle. The ground was undisturbed, and there were no broken branches or uprooted shrubs.

"I'm going to take a look from above," Hitsugaya said. He quickly left his gigai and with a quick step, he propelled himself several feet into the air. He looked around for a moment and then came back down.

"This area is secluded for about a half mile on either side," he said. "Outside of that it's densely populated. It's unlikely the group would have moved to where there are humans. I'm going to rule out the rest of the area on all four sides."

"Wait, sir!" she said quickly because he looked like was about to leave immediately. He frowned at her.

"Here," she held out her hand again, offering him one of the black balls. "It's a communication device," she said before he could ask. "Just place it in your ear and we'll be able to talk to each other."

"I see." He accepted it, giving her a somewhat curious look. Tenko watched him place it into his ear, mirroring his actions.

"Stay here until I return."

"Yes, sir—"

He was gone before she could finish. Tenko sighed. From what she had heard, Squad 10's captain was as serious and as no-nonsense as they came. This was the first time she was interacting with him and it seemed like the rumours were true.

Tenko buried her hands in her pockets and tried to keep busy. As she pictured it in her head, to cover the most ground, Hitsugaya should go to the eight cardinal points. That way the reach of the reiatsu detector would encompass the entire area. Of course, this was true only in a two-dimensional context, she mused.

As she strolled through the clearing, she imagined the area as a sphere. If the captain was right and the Shinigami hadn't wandered off to the populated area, then theoretically, there should be some trace of them within the sphere.

There was the ground and, looking up at the sky, the area above. But there was clearly no trace of them in the sky and so far no trace of them on the ground. Which left…

Idly, Tenko stopped walking and looked down at her feet. She was standing in about the centre of the clearing. Below her feet was smooth, flat grass. It didn't look like anything had stepped foot here in a long time.

Which was…weird.

Tenko frowned. Based on her info, this park was very popular among the school-age people in the area. It hosted many parties, festivals and sporting events. There had been a holiday recently. This place should have been crawling with people. There was no way the grass would still be this pristine.

Tenko kneeled down, placing a hand flat on the ground. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Almost immediately she could feel it. The missing Shinigami—there were traces of them in the soil.

Tenko looked deeper, following the traces as far as she could, one hundred meters, and then two hundred meters. She could feel it getting stronger the further she went. She crossed four hundred meters and her eyes widened.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" she said urgently, getting quickly to her feet.

"What is it?" came his voice in her ear.

"The Shinigami, sir, they're—"

The ground beneath her started to shake violently. Tenko lost her balance, falling flat onto the ground. The rubber bud fell out of her ear and rolled away. She swore and attempted to reach for it but the ground beneath her was crumbling. From the outer edges of the clearing sharp spikes were rising out of the ground—teeth, she realized. Chunks of the ground seemed to be sinking into the earth.

Tenko got to her feet shakily, trying to keep her footing. As she watched, more rings of sharp teeth broke through the ground, forming concentric circles within the clearing. She had a bad feeling she knew where this was going.

The ground beneath her feet gave way, pitching Tenko forward straight into the path of a sharp tooth.

Something grabbed her hood, yanking her up and away. She and Hitsugaya landed outside the rings of teeth, Tenko falling to her hands and knees beside him. She blinked. He had literally grabbed her by the scruff and carted her off.

"What is that?" the captain asked, gaze locked on the churning ground before them.

"Some kind of earthworm hollow," she guessed, leaning back on her legs. "The reiatsu detector only works across a flat surface. It doesn't detect reiatsu underground."

Hitsugaya scowled. "I can't see its mask."

"It's there," Tenko pointed to the very centre of the clearing. There, in the middle of all the teeth, was the hollow mask. As she spoke, the movement of the ground settled down. For a moment, everything was still.

Then the teeth started to move, each ring rotating alternatively, creating a blender of sharp teeth that spun faster than Tenko could see.

She braced her hands on her knees and got to her feet. "It probably swallowed them whole," she said. "They likely didn't have a chance."

Hitsugaya glanced at her. "How could a hollow like this go undetected?"

"About four hundred meters below there's a tunnel system," Tenko said calmly. "Who knows how extensive it is. All it has to do is run out of reach and it'll lose any pursuers. I don't think it can leave the ground, otherwise, it would have done so already."

"I see," Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "Stay put."

He shunpo'd over the epicentre, looking down at the hollow mask. Tenko watched as he drew his zanpakuto, its blade glinting dangerously.

An odd thing happened then.

Tenko, who had been watching with mild interest, felt her eyes widen against her wishes. For a moment, it seemed like time had stopped as her eyes fell on the distinctive hilt and she felt a well-controlled, distinctive change in the captain's reiatsu.

 _Hyorinmaru_.

Tenko's breath caught. "Do you…know him?" she whispered.

_We are…strangers. But…_

Before her, Hitsugaya rushed forward, bringing the blade of his zanpakuto forward. It should be a clean and easy strike, Tenko thought, eyes narrowing. The tip of his blade was inches from slicing through the hollow mask when suddenly, the teeth stopped moving.

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

Hundreds of teeth shot into the air, each one sharp and deadly and moving at the speed of a bullet.

Hitsugaya jerked back, immediately shunpoing away out of range. He came to a stop on the opposite side of the clearing to Tenko. She looked over him critically but he seemed to be mostly unharmed, except for a sharp trail of blood across one cheek where he had been grazed.

Tenko's attention was brought back to the hollow by the abrupt restarting of the spinning teeth, but something seemed different this time.

"Captain Hitsugaya," she called to him. "It's preparing to flee. We probably only have one shot of killing it now."

From across the way she saw him nod. Wasting no time, he retook his position over the epicentre, his sword at the ready. Immediately, the teeth stopped moving and another round of them were expelled into the air. But he was ready for it this time.

Faster than Tenko could keep up with he dodged and sliced through them. He had almost cleared a path when one flew through his defence, heading straight for the centre of his head. But before he could blink, something whizzed past his face, spearing the tooth and tearing it away. For a split second, Tenko could see his eyes flicker over to her where she was standing with her arm stretched forward, her body leaning precariously over the chasm of teeth.

Tenko settled back onto the balls of her feet as Hitsugaya's blade drove into the hollow mask, completely tearing it apart. As he withdrew, landing safely out of the way, the hollow began to disappear. At the same time, the destroyed ground seemed to grow back into place, completely obscuring the hole the hollow had been in like nothing had ever happened.

Tenko let out a breath of air.

On the other side, Hitsugaya's eyes landed on a nearby tree. There, completely imbedded in the trunk several feet above the ground, was a thin, sharp, black dagger securing a hollow tooth to the wood. The hilt was similar to that of a zanpakuto except for a thin black ribbon that was wrapped around the handle and linked to the pummel by a crystal ring.

When he turned back to Tenko, she was walking curiously over the freshly repaired earth, mumbling to herself: "It seems that it had some regenerative ability, but only for this section of the ground," she was saying. "Ah, what a shame. I can't find it. It's probably buried underground somewhere. Should I look for it? My Mizutani will be upset if I don't even try. But looking for it at this point would be so much work. I know, I'll just tell him the hollow ate it. Yeah, that's right. That makes sense."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. Carefully, he pulled the dagger out of the tree, surprised when Hyorinmaru stirred within. But when he settled back down, the captain thought nothing more of it. He approached the girl who appeared to be lost in thought, her head bent, propped up by a finger under her chin. She hadn't even left her gigai, and looked nothing more than a high-schooler standing there. It occurred to him then that he had never really heard anything about the third seat of the 12th Squad. He doubted if even Matsumoto knew about this girl, and Matsumoto knew about _everyone_.

She looked over at him and he presented the dagger to her. "Is this…your zanpakuto?"

"Ah, yes," Tenko took it from him and replaced it in the sheath strapped to the back of her belt.

"You can use your zanpakuto while still in your gigai?" he asked suspiciously when it seemed like she became distracted again.

"Huh? What? Oh, yes, but that's nothing special, it's just a trick of the gigai. I can't release it or anything, I can only use it in its unsealed form, which, as you've seen, isn't much."

And she turned away from him, retrieving her notebook from her pocket and quickly scribbling something. "Just give me a few moments, Captain Hitsugaya, I'm compiling some data for us to take back."

He said nothing, standing there with his arms folded, watching as she worked. Shigeki Tenko looked like a teenager. She had a somewhat awkward height, with limbs that were thinner than would have been expected of her stature. Hitsugaya was pleased to see that she was shorter than him, if only by a few millimetres. She had long dark hair that hung freely down her back, parted on the left side so that the longer strands fell over the right side of her face. She wore rimless glasses over her pale brown eyes but the right lens had a curious crack running across it, almost like it was a symbol of some sort. There was nothing particularly special about her appearance and altogether she was just normal.

Tenko got to her feet, tucking the notebook away. "Alright," she said. "I've gathered as much as I can. I took the liberty to send the request to open the Senkaimon. It should be ready by the time we return to the location."

"Are there no survivors?" he asked.

Tenko sighed. "It appears not. I've located traces of all eight members of the team within the hole. I think it's safe to assume that they've all perished."

Hitsugaya nodded, somewhat grim. "Let's head back."

* * *

In the Squad 1 meeting room, Tenko listened to Captain Hitsugaya give their mission report to the Head Captain and his two vice-captains. On the way back to the Senkaimon gate, Tenko had explained her findings to the Squad 10 captain. She would have to do further analyses at the lab and verify everything, of course, but the Head Captain had wanted to know as soon as possible.

As Hitsugaya finished, Kyoraku turned to her. "Is there anything else you'd like to add, third seat Shigeki?"

"Nothing the captain hasn't already covered, sir," she replied calmly.

"Very well," Kyoraku nodded at her and then sighed. "This is very unfortunate. We will commence funeral preparations for the Squat 10 and Squad 6 members immediately."

Outside the meeting hall, Captain Hitsugaya walked so fast that by the time she called out to him to wait he was already at the other end of the corridor. Tenko had to jog to catch up to him.

"That thing," she said, a little breathless. "May I have it back?"

Hitsugaya gave her blank look before frowning in realization. Carefully, he removed the black ear bud and dropped it in her waiting hand.

"Will those be standard issue?"

Tenko smiled, pocketing the device. "Perhaps one day. They're too easily dislodged from the ear," she brushed her hand against her own ear. "I don't think they'll hold up against captain-level shunpo."

"I see," he said, eyeing her curiously.

Tenko turned away, waving. "I guess that's all. Take care, Captain."

She took off, heading for the laboratories. Mizutani was waiting for her with a report.

"Shigeki-san, we got another report!"

"Oh? Let me see?"

"Also, Captain Kurotsuchi said to come see him immediately when you return. It seemed urgent."

Tenko hummed. "I guess it can't be helped," she said, tucking the filed under her arm. She handed him the earbud, causing him to frown.

"Why is there only one, Shigeki-san?" he demanded. "You lost the other one, didn't you?"

She laughed sheepishly. "No, no, no, the hollow ate it. Really, it did."

He looked unconvinced. "You're a terrible liar, Shigeki-san."

That terrible liar went to see her captain.

Captain Kurotsuchi was in his office, which was actually his lab. When Tenko entered he had his back to her, working on something she couldn't see. Ever the oddball, there was not much Kurotsuchi could do to surprise her. He grew a new eccentricity every month. Recently, he had taken to working alone in his darkened lab. Even his vice-captain didn't know what he was working on.

Tenko walked into the room and stood behind him quietly. It seemed to take a while before he realized that she was there. The movement of his hands stopped.

"Third seat Shigeki-san, you have returned."

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good. I trust your assignment in the World of the Living with Captain Hitsugaya went well?"

"Yes, sir."

"Anything of interest to report?"

Her hand tightened on the report in her hand. "No, sir."

"I see."

Kurotsuchi's back straightened. He seemed to be peeling gloves off of his hands. "Very well," he said quietly. "Tomorrow, Kuchiki Rukia will be inaugurated as the Captain of Squad 13. The Captain Commander has granted her request to immediately fill the vice-captain seat of that squad, and has asked the captains to make recommendations."

Tenko couldn't help her surprise. "Captain?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Shigeki, I have not recommended you." He turned his head slowly in her direction. Tenko could see one-quarter of his extravagant face. One eye was looking directly at her. "But it seems Kuchiki Rukia has."

Tenko was startled. The usual impeccable control she had over her facial expression slipped for a moment, causing the corner of Kurotsuchi's mouth to jerk up. His eye dropped to the file in her hand but he didn't comment.

"The lieutenant's exam will be held one month from now. You will be relieved of all official duties to prepare in that time."

"I understand, sir," Tenko said quietly.

"Then you are dismissed." He turned back to whatever he was doing and Tenko silently left the room.

Back in her own lab, she opened the report. The report confirmed the acceptance of Yoshiya Tomomi into Squad 10, signed and approved my Hitsugaya Toushiro about fifteen minutes before they had departed for the World of the Living. Tenko propped her elbow on her desk and rested her chin in her palm.

What a mess, she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: One of my favourite things is inventing hollows. Naming them is a bit difficult, though. Any suggestions for the hollow in this chapter? I was thinking Grubby, but that seems kind of cute.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

"Well Tennee-san, aren't you going to congratulate me? And where's my present?"

Tenko leaned down so she could look the little red-haired girl in the eye. "Congratulations, Ichika-chan. What would you like as a present?"

"Ice-cream!" the girl answered immediately. "And those popsicle things you brought back from the human world last time."

"I see, I see," Tenko smiled. "You've done well, Ichika. I'm proud of you."

The little girl flushed as red as her hair. "Well, you should be. I worked hard, you know. Becoming a Shinigami apprentice isn't easy at this age."

"I _know_ ," Tenko agreed enthusiastically with her. "And you didn't cry even once."

"Exactly!" Ichika nodded her head.

Tenko chuckled and straightened up as Ichika raced off to let more people know. After growing up among so many Shinigami, she was quite excited to have officially become one of them, even if it would be a while yet before she was full-fledged.

"You're very good with children."

Tenko looked back over her shoulder. "Thank you, Captain," she smiled. "Perhaps it's because I'm so much of a child myself."

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest and considered the girl before her. "You're too mature to be considered a child," she said. "But your appearance…"

Tenko blinked. "Is that not why you took a liking to me, Captain? Because we're so similar."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Rukia smacked her upside the head, scolding. "I took a liking to you because of your capabilities. Who cares what you look like? And who are you implying looks like a kid? Don't you know how much older I am than you?"

Tenko sheepishly rubbed the abused spot behind her head. Rukia softened. "I know more about you than you think, Tenko. I know you're not as ordinary as you appear."

Tenko looked at her with watery eyes. "Oh, Captain…"

"Yeah, yeah, save it," her captain retorted, already immune to this act. "Have you sent out the invitations for nii-sama's birthday party?"

Tenko nodded. "I delivered them myself. Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Matsumoto were unavailable so I left it at their office. If I know anything about Vice-Captain Matsumoto and parties, the two of them will be there no problem." She thought back on all the reactions she had gotten this past week as she visited each Squad. "It seems like most of the Captains and Vice-Captains will be attending, although Captain Zaraki said he was coming _specifically_ for the sake, so you should be prepared."

Rukia sighed. "That's good," she said. "I'm sorry to be putting so much work on you, Tenko. And it's only going to get worse this next week, now that Oshito will be going on an assignment."

Tenko froze. "So you approved the request then?" she said quietly.

Rukia looked over at her, eyebrow raising at her sudden change in attitude. "Mhm, I did," she confirmed. "I looked into it like you said. Turns out Oshita Yuko and that Yoshiya Tomomi are friends from their time at the academy. This also happens to be Yoshiya's first assignment in the World of the Living, so I understand wanting to have a friend as her partner. It seemed a bit heartless to refuse their request."

"Yeah," Tenko agreed, smiling softly. "Heartless."

* * *

Rukia had organized Byakuya's birthday party at the Kuchiki manor. She had spared nothing and there were copious amounts of food, drinks and people there. The Captains and Vice-Captains had all received personal invitations but Rukia had left an open invitation to the rest of the seated officers, so altogether it was a rather rambunctious group.

When Tenko arrived, wearing a burrowed yukata that was probably more expensive than everything she owned combined, the party was already in full swing. The birthday boy was making his rounds greeting all of the notable people and Tenko watched him with a little amusement.

She had come to know Kuchiki Byakuya fairly well in the year or so she had been Rukia's vice-captain, and while it was hard to say whether he liked her or not, Tenko felt secure enough to say he certainly _tolerated_ her a great deal.

As she was standing there musing over this, a familiar weight pounced on her shoulders. Tenko stumbled forward but managed to keep her footing.

"Tennee-san! You're here!"

"Does your mother know you're still up, Ichika?" she asked the little girl. "I thought you were supposed to be in bed by now?"

Ichika pouted, wrapping her arms around Tenko's neck. "It's not fair," she whined. "I wanna be at Uncle Byakuya's party too."

Tenko sighed. "What will you do if your mother sees you, huh? Did you think about that?"

The little girl hid her face in Tenko's shoulder. "I won't leave!" she said adamantly. "Even if mummy scolds me."

"You?" Tenko protested. "What about me? What if mummy scolds _me_?"

"You're always being scolded Tennee-san, it won't make a difference."

Tenko reached behind her and pinched the girl's behind, causing her to yelp. "How about I let you in on a little secret."

Ichika stilled, raising her head with interest. "Secret?"

"Mhm," Tenko nodded her head. "But you have to promise to go to bed right after I tell you. Do you promise?" She raised a loose fist over her shoulder, extending her pinkie.

Ichika hesitated but eventually wrapped her own pinkie around hers. "Okay, I promise. It better be a good secret, Tennee-san."

"Tomorrow, Uncle Byakuya is planning on taking you to the World of the Living."

Ichika's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Tenko nodded. "Yup, I made the preparations myself. It's for his birthday _and_ for your having become a Shinigami apprentice."

"Really, Tennee-san? I get to go to the human world and eat all the ice-cream and sweets I want?"

Tenko gave a dry laugh. "Well, I don't know about _that_ ," she said. "But I do know if you want to have all of your energy tomorrow, you should be sleeping already."

The little girl gasped. "You're right!" she exclaimed. "I must conserve my strength!" She scrambled down Tenko's back. "See you later, Tennee-san! I'll bring you back something good, don't worry!"

Tenko straightened her back, stretching until she heard a bone pop. Honestly, Ichika was probably too old to still be climbing onto her back like that.

"I don't think Captain Kuchiki will be pleased with you informing her of his plans."

Tenko froze in what she knew must be an inelegant position, glancing sideways at the speaker.

"One day he might forgive me," she said calmly, relaxing her body. "I'm glad you could make it, Captain Hitsugaya. I trust Vice-Captain Matsumoto was able to as well?"

He didn't answer but merely pointed one slender finger in the direction of his lieutenant, who was currently sitting around a table with Kira and Hisagi, guzzling down a bottle of sake. Tenko couldn't help but smile.

"She was pleased to have made it before the 11th Squad members had finished off all the alcohol," the captain said beside her, voice flat but Tenko thought with just the littlest amusement.

"That shouldn't be a problem for another—" she thought back to how much alcohol she had ordered and did a quick calculation in her head, "—three hours? If they pace themselves reasonably."

Hitsugaya scoffed quietly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. The two of them remained there in that corner of the room in silence. Captain Hitsugaya made Tenko feel uncomfortable. It wasn't always this way—before, she hadn't thought very much of him. But ever since her lieutenant's exam, she could often feel the young captain's gaze on her back anytime they happened to be near each other. There was always a kind of clinical interest in his eyes when he looked at her, along with scrutiny and suspicion. Tenko began to feel a little awkward. Just when she opened her mouth to excuse herself and slip away, he spoke again.

"I'm surprised Abarai isn't here," he observed.

"He's probably running late because he's training new recruits. I heard he's been having some trouble with them lately." She frowned at the mention of the lieutenant and Hitsugaya's eyes flickered to her.

"How unusual," he said. "I don't recall him ever having trouble with such a simple task before."

"Yeah, well…" she murmured to herself, "It seems like things have been changing lately."

The captain beside her didn't give any indication that he had heard. It was at that moment that her captain came to save her.

Rukia walked up to the pair and nodded politely at her fellow captain. "Captain Hitsugaya."

"Kuchiki."

Rukia turned to Tenko. "Was Ichika here just now? I thought I felt her presence."

Tenko nodded. "But I sent her to bed straight away!" she said proudly.

"Uh huh," her captain gave her a wry look, holding onto her arm by pinching it. "And how exactly did you do that?"

Tenko laughed somewhat nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I might have, maybe, kind of, somewhat, told her that her Uncle Byakuya would be taking her to the World of the Living tomorrow?"

"Oh, you did, did you?" Rukia was smiling brightly, all the while pinching Tenko harder. "So you've ruined nii-sama's surprise then." She narrowed her eyes at Tenko before abruptly letting go, kindly smoothing out the wrinkles she had made in the yukata sleeve—which was actually _her_ yukata sleeve. "Oh well, guess it can't be helped."

Tenko blinked at her sudden change. Beside her, Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Aren't you upset?" Tenko asked with uncertainty.

"Why would I be? This is between you and nii-sama. It's got nothing to do with me," and she waved her hand flippantly.

Tenko paled, grabbing onto Rukia's sleeve. "Captain, you must save me," she begged.

Rukia wanted to drag this out a little longer but she took one look at the other girls' widened, fearful eyes and caved. She let out a lengthy breath of air. "Fine, fine, fine," she said, patting Tenko on the head. "If you must know, nii-sama just gave me the green light to let Ichika know anyway, since she needs to be ready for when the Senkaimon opens early tomorrow, and you know how she just runs off to wherever as soon as she wakes up. It'll take too long if we have to find her in the morning."

Tenko heaved a sigh of relief, resting her head on her captain's shoulder. "I thought for sure I was going to die!" she said dramatically. "I have never seen your brother's bankai, captain, and I would like to keep it that way."

Rukia laughed.

Hitsugaya observed the two girls silently. It had only been a year and they were already so…close. He didn't think he had even gotten comfortable with Matsumoto until probably the third year of knowing her.

"By the way, captain," Tenko said, straightening. "Shouldn't now be about the time you got the cake out. If we wait any longer, most everyone will be too drunk to appreciate it."

Rukia blinked. "You're right. Come with me."

And Tenko only managed to give Hitsugaya an awkward nod before she was yanked away.

* * *

The party only began to wind down after midnight, when everyone was too drunk to move anymore. Byakuya had long since fled the scene and Rukia had returned to her office because she was determined to complete some paperwork or the other that would make the work of the coming week fractionally easier, as she had put it. Renji had failed to show up at all.

As such, it was left to the guests see themselves out, which was why most everyone was still there, some making sure every last bit of the Kuchiki's expensive food and booze was dutifully consumed, and some getting a head start on tomorrow's hangover. A small few had responsibly left to catch some sleep back at their own quarters before the next day started.

Tenko, unfortunately, wasn't one of these. She felt obligated to stay and make sure the Kuchiki estate looked reasonably like itself the next day, or at least make sure no one had accidentally killed themselves a la alcohol poisoning, but when it seemed that everyone who had remained was asleep or on their way to it, she felt like she could leave.

Too tired to shunpo to her quarters, she walked leisurely, the full moon hung heavily overhead. She tilted her head back to look at it and a somewhat uncertain voice sounded in her ear.

"Shigeki-san?"

Tenko stopped walking. "What is it Mizutani?"

"The program just flagged another report," his voice came from the black earbud nestled in her ear and concealed by her hair. "It's exactly what you were afraid of."

Tenko froze, her hands curling into fists. "What does it say?" she asked quietly.

"Oshita Yuko and that Yoshiya Tomomi were both killed in the field two hours ago. Their spiritual pressure has completely vanished but there's no trace of their bodies."

Tenko uncurled her fingers. "Two hours?" she asked.

"Yes," Mizutani confirmed. "They were tracked up until 11:45pm, Soul Society time, before their spiritual pressure just completely vanished. The system immediately marked them as deceased."

"At most it takes an hour to open the Senkaimon," she murmured.

"Shigeki-san?"

"Don't worry about it, Mizutani," she told him. "I have to go now but do you remember what I told you?"

"I—yes," he sounded uncertain.

"No matter what happens, I need you to remember what I told you, understood?"

"Yes," he said, voice small.

"Good."

And she took off, heading for her Captain's office. It took her more time than she liked to get there and when she arrived she was panting lightly. The office was curiously dark for someone supposedly doing paperwork. Tenko tried to feel Rukia's spiritual pressure, but she frowned at what she found. Carefully, she unlocked the door and slid it open.

It was too dark inside for her to see but there was definitely someone there.

"Captain?" she called out, voice steady.

A shadowed form seemed to turn around. It stepped forward a little hesitantly. "Is that you Tenko? What are you doing here?"

Tenko smiled a tight smile. "How uncanny," she said quietly to herself, reaching for the knife strapped behind her. The sound of the blade coming out of the sheath was very loud in the still silence. Tenko held the blade before her, pointing it at the vague shape of her captain.

" _Kagayaku, Sugarukyo_."

* * *

Somewhere between the Kuchiki estate and the Squad 10 barracks, a drunk Matsumoto was stumbling through the streets. She had had the most brilliant idea, which was to place her captain's desk and chair outside, so that when he did his paperwork, he would have a nice view. After all, he was always stuck inside and never got to, like, smell the roses…or something. So she would help him out.

Matsumoto stopped and pondered for a moment. Where would be a good place to relocate them, she wondered. Perhaps…the roof? Yes, that seemed like a good idea. And obviously, it would be a pain to have to go back to the office whenever he needed to file something, or retrieve a book, so clearly, the bookshelves and filing cabinets would have to go, too. And what if he wanted to take a nap? Well then she would have to move the sofa as well. You know what, she thought, she should just move the whole office outside. Yes, that's exactly what she would do.

Matsumoto smiled to herself. She fantasized about her captain coming into work tomorrow and being so pleasantly surprised that he just gave her the rest of the week off.

She continued to make her way to the office but as she did, she never noticed the familiar figure that was following her.

* * *

Hitsugaya had nodded off in a quiet corner of the Kuchiki estate, exhausted from having just returned from a patrol and then being immediately dragged to a social outing. He jerked awake at the sound of a sake bottle rolling off a table and shattering on the floor. He looked around, just thinking it was about time he leave this party—after all, the host, the host's assistant, and the guest of honour were nowhere to be found—when a more than slightly tipsy Kyoraku stumbled over to him and informed him that his vice-captain had wondered off somewhere and would he please go look for her, because he was clearly the only one still sober enough to do so.

Hitsugaya sighed in annoyance but obligingly got to his feet. He knew his lieutenant quite well, which meant she was probably on her way back to the 10th Squad compound to set in motion something that would greatly irritate him tomorrow.

He found her quite easily, looking down at her from the rooftops as she stumbled her way through the dark, empty streets. He could distinctly hear her muttering something about the sunshine and a great view.

He was just about to jump down to her when he felt a change in the air, causing him to abruptly stop his shunpo in surprise.

"This spiritual pressure…" he murmured. Within him, Hyorinmaru growled. It was a reiatsu he had only ever really felt once.

But there was something wrong this time, he was sure of it.

Hitsugaya immediately changed directions, heading for the 13th Squad compound instead. He was sure Matsumoto would be fine.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

One year ago, Hitsugaya had sat amongst the other captains and watched the then 12th Squad third seat, Shigeki Tenko, release her zanpakuto. The second he had heard the words _Kagayaku, Sugarukyo,_ his stomach had dropped and Hyorinmaru, usually silent, had growled. It was hard to tell what the growl had meant but Hitsugaya couldn't discern any malice in it.

He had watched, almost riveted, as the small dagger that she held loosely, carelessly, in her hands changed, the blade elongating, the hilt growing thicker, and the black ribbon uncoiling from the hilt until it trailed in the air behind her, almost two times the length of the sword itself. From the distance he couldn't see much of the hilt within her hands but the blade was glowing, soft and yellow, like a candle flame, and there were several murmurs among the captains at the sight.

He had seen Shigeki's eyes flicker over at the noise, very briefly, but he could see something almost like boredom in them. She turned her attention back to Kuchiki, who was standing opposite her, her own unsealed zanpakuto in her hands.

Hitsugaya thought it was almost magical, looking at the two swords—one white, one black, both with long ribbons billowing behind. He was somewhat not at all surprised when later he learned that it had been Kuchiki Rukia herself who had nominated the almost unknown third seat to be her lieutenant.

* * *

At the Squad 13 compound, Hitsugaya found the door open and everything dark. It was a mess of Shigeki's and Kuchiki's reiatsu and Hitsugaya drew his zanpakuto, entering the office cautiously.

As the first rays of light came over the horizon, Hitsugaya began to make out the scene in the room.

It was a mess, with the desk overturned and papers scattered across the floor. The wooden floorboards were pulled up in several places, like someone had crashed into it. There was ink and blood all over the floor and walls.

Shigeki was kneeling on the ground, her back to him and her head bent. Beneath her was a prone body. All Hitsugaya could see was limp black hair and a bloodied haori.

Hitsugaya pointed his zanpakuto at the kneeling girl's back. There was no way she didn't know he was there but he still said, "This is Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro. Shigeki Tenko, please stand up."

There was a brief pause, but then she stood silently. The image of her back seemed exceptionally cold. Hitsugaya's eyes were drawn to the floor at her feet. She was standing in Kuchiki's blood.

Slowly, she turned to face him.

For a moment, Hitsugaya felt for sure that he was looking at a completely different person than the girl he had last seen only a few hours prior. In her eyes were an unfathomable bottomlessness, and she was looking at him like he wasn't worth the dirt under her fingernails. She was still wearing the yukata from earlier, now stained and splattered with blood. In her right arm she was holding her unsealed zanpakuto, the blade dripping blood onto the floor beside her, with blood from her elbow to the tips of her fingers.

For a moment, Hitsugaya didn't know what to think. He was pointing his zanpakuto at her but she didn't seem the least bit concerned.

"Bakudo number sixty-one—"

"Sorry, captain," a soft voice said directly into his ear and he became suddenly aware of a cold, wet blade pressed against his neck and the heavy smell of blood.

Hitsugaya felt his eyes widened, feeling the presence of her body behind him. When had she moved—?

"Bakudo number seventy-three, Tozansho," that same voice continued, quiet, calm and cold. Four arrows of light shot out from beneath their feet, hitting the four walls and heading upwards, forming a cage of blue light around him. He blinked and the presence behind him disappeared just as the cage sealed above him.

Hitsugaya swung around, the blade of his zanpakuto clanging against the barrier uselessly. The office was empty and try as he might he couldn't pick up the movement of her reiatsu.

Hitsugaya swore, kneeling down to check on Kuchiki. He had already suspected the worst but somehow looking at her pale, lifeless face and empty eyes still shocked him. Her shihakusho was a damp mess of blood and it was hard to tell how she had been hurt.

He got to his feet and released his shikai, gathering his strength to break through the seal. It took a few hits but eventually it shattered, shards of light dissipating. At the same time he could feel a new reiatsu approach and he quickly headed outside.

"Matsumoto!" he called to her sharply.

She alighted before him, thoroughly dishevelled but with surprising sobriety.

"Captain! What happened? I felt your reiatsu and came right over—"

"Take care of Kuchiki!" he commanded roughly, racing past her. He didn't have time to listen to her response, taking off as fast as he could.

He couldn't feel Shigeki's reiatsu but he could still feel the faint traces if Kuchiki's that had been transferred to her.

He followed the faint trail all the way to edge of Seireitei. She was standing over the tall wall, looking out at the sunrise over the horizon. Hitsugaya stopped several feet away from her, Hyorinmaru at the ready. He didn't know how she had moved that fast before but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Shigeki Tenko," he said, voice harsh. "I would advise you not to run anymore. The Stealth Force will soon be made aware of Kuchiki Rukia's death and any escape will be impossible. I suggest you surrender yourself peacefully."

"Captain Hitsugaya," she said quietly, causing Hitsugaya to frown, his hands flexing readily on Hyorinmaru's hilt. Her voice sounded like he knew it to be, with none of the coldness from before. She turned her head to look at him, her expression back to normal. Calmly, she asked him, "My Sugarukyo, do you remember what she does?"

Hitsugaya remembered, unable to help the wary glance he threw to the sun rising behind her.

Shigeki smiled. "You might want to know," she continued, "That Sugarukyo's shikai has three commands. The one that you know is merely the simplest. You probably already figured out that Sugarukyo is linked to light, specifically the light around wherever she's released. What you might not know is that there are rules to what light she can connect to and how she can connect to it."

An uneasy feeling crept up on Hitsugaya. His instincts were to rush at her but he knew better than to jump into a situation he didn't know.

"One of those rules is that she has domain over all uninterrupted light within a given area," she gestured around them, which was all bathed in the early morning sunlight. "And also any immediate light outside of that that's separated by a single shadow."

Hitsugaya frowned.

"So you see," she went on. "Seireitei is surrounded by this wall, which will always cast a shadow between the city—" she pointed towards him with her zanpakuto, "—and the rest of Soul Society. No matter which side I stand on, I have domain on both sides."

"Shigeki!" he said sharply, startling her. "Don't do anything you'll regret," he advised her.

Surprisingly, she smiled but carried on like he hadn't spoken. "This doesn't just allow me to draw power from both sides, it also allows me to move between both domains."

Hitsugaya swung his sword towards her, catching the blade of hers in a loud clang. He pressed in close to her, trying to read her face. She stared back impassively, like she wasn't at all surprised that he had attacked.

From before his very eyes she disappeared, causing Hitsugaya to stumble forward. He swung around to find her standing behind him, the tip of her zanpakuto pointing to the area beneath him.

"Your shadow," she said simply, and Hitsugaya understood how she had moved so fast back at Kuchiki's darkened office.

"You'll only be making things more difficult for yourself," he told her, trying to reason. "Even in the Rukongai, we'll be able to find you."

"Escaping into the Rukongai isn't impossible for me," she said, "But the Sekkiseki makes that more trouble than it's worth."

Hitsugaya felt a sudden change in the air, sensing Matsumoto's approaching reiatsu, along with what he assumed must be members of the Stealth Squad. Shigeki had chosen the most isolated and farthest from the Gotei 13 barracks section of the outer Seireitei wall to run to—it would take the reinforcements a few minutes to get there. Hitsugaya just needed to stall.

"The easiest way to destroy your innocence is to flee," he said to her. "The Gotei 13 will conduct a fair investigation, but we won't be able to consider your side of the story if you don't stay to give it to us. You'll be doing nothing but wasting our time chasing you when we could be looking for Captain Kuchiki's murderer—"

"Your investigation will find that I killed her," she said plainly. "Because I did."

Hitsugaya tried not to let his shock at that statement show but he must have failed, because she smiled a tired, somewhat resigned smile. "Yes," she said. "I assume Lieutenant Matsumoto and Captain Kotetsu have already confirmed it, hence why they are on their way here."

Hitsugaya stood firmly before her. "There's nowhere to run," he said.

Shigeki sighed. "Do you know what the Garganta is?" she asked him.

Hitsugaya frowned but didn't answer. Matsumoto was so close now, it could only be a few more moments.

"It's a void," she said. "An endless vacuum of space. Nothing can survive in there. We rely on the Senkaimon to open a Dangai pathway through it, but outside the Dangai, there's nothing. No life, no objects, no light." She gave him a measured look. "It can be considered a shadow between worlds."

Hitsugaya lunged for her, his zanpakuto aiming for her middle.

" _Chiratsuki_."

There was the clash of metal against metal and he felt a familiar presence bearing down on him.

"Captain!" Matsumoto exclaimed. "What—"

Hitsugaya leapt away from her, looking around him. Matsumoto was standing before him, her zanpakuto drawn. They were the only two people there. Behind her, he could see Kotetsu and members of the Stealth Squad approaching.

"Captain, what happened?" Matsumoto asked him, baffled as the others caught up to them. "Where did Lieutenant Shigeki go? She was just standing here, I saw you going in for the attack so I tried to block her escape from the back but she just disappeared—"

"Captain Kotetsu," he addressed the captain as she approached. "Can you feel Lieutenant Shigeki's reiatsu?"

Captain Kotetsu focused for a moment before shaking her head. "No, Captain Hitsugaya, we've been following your reiatsu all this time."

"And Kuchiki?"

The look that crossed the other captain's face told him all he needed to know.

Hitsugaya turned to Matsumoto, who still seemed confused. "Go to Squad 12 and have them check Shigeki's vitals tracker," he ordered. "Captain Kotetsu and I will go to the Head Captain."

"Yes, sir," she said, understanding the gravity of the situation and shunpoing off immediately.

Hitsugaya turned to the Stealth Squad members. "One of you come with us to take our statements," he said. "I'll leave the crime scenes to the Stealth Squad and Squad 2. Let's go, Kotetsu."

Not waiting for their answers, he took off, heading for Kyoraku's office to tell him that his newest captain had just been assassinated and real trouble seemed to be brewing in Soul Society for the first time in ten years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I always found it funny how during battles everyone would just stand around explaining what their weapons do. I realize that this exposition was necessary for the reader, as there's no real other way to clearly explain the intricacies of the zanpakuto's powers and abilities, so I tried my best to emulate that with Tenko's weapon, but it's far more awkward to write it in prose than it is to write it in a manga, where you have different visual advantages.
> 
> But I hope it was clear what Sugarukyo does.
> 
> Also, I'm no expert at Japanese names and the culture and customs that surround it, so I could only rely on the internet. The translations are as follows:
> 
> Sugarukyo (携挙) - rapture, as in the biblical rapture, but also joy and bliss.
> 
> Kagayaku (輝く) (Sugarukyo's release command) - shine
> 
> Chiratsuki (ちらつき) - flicker
> 
> Also, Tenko's name is derived from Tenshi (天使) which means angel, but it's an unusual thing to name a person because Japanese people don't really give themselves such flashy names.
> 
> I realize that zanpakuto names and commands are usually more complex than just single words, and are more often than not phrases. But, like I said, I just don't know enough about Japanese characters and naming to come up with something like that and I'm pretty sure there would be more to it than just putting something into Google translate.
> 
> So this will have to do.
> 
> Also, also, R.I.P. Rukia.
> 
> -Bird


End file.
